Bodycam video shows arrest of off-duty Washington state trooper after deadly DUI crash
A photo showing off-duty Washington State Patrol Trooper Sarah Clasen interacting with local law enforcement at the scene of a fatal collision involving a motorcycle. Clasen, who was driving her personal vehicle at the time of the crash, has been charged with vehicular homicide. (Richland police)
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- Bodycam
- Washington State Patrol
- Vehicular homicide
- Fatal crash
- Sarah Clasen
- Impairment
- Motorcycle
- Benton County Jail
RICHLAND, Wash. — Police body camera footage has been released showing an off-duty Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper being arrested following a fatal crash in eastern Washington earlier this month.
WSP Trooper Sarah Clasen faces a vehicular homicide charge connected to the crash that resulted in the death of 20-year-old Jhoser Sanchez.
The collision occurred March 1 near the entrance of Parkway Village on State Route 240. Clasen, who was off-duty and driving her personal vehicle at the time, collided with Sanchez, who was riding a motorcycle.
Investigators said they believe Clasen was impaired at the time of the crash.
In the body camera footage from the Richland Police Department, Clasen appears to refuse any field sobriety tests. However, officers ended up getting a warrant from a judge and transported her to a local hospital to have her blood drawn to determine her level of impairment.
The results of Clasen’s blood test is expected in the coming months.
Ultimately, Clasen was booked into the Benton County Jail on charges of vehicular homicide. She has since been released.
Her case continues to work its way through the court system. The Benton County Prosecutors’ Office has appointed the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office as a special prosecutor in this case due to Clasen’s position in local law enforcement.
RELATED: Listen: Off-duty Washington state trooper’s 911 call released after fatal crash
At the time of the crash, first responders noted signs of impairment, including glossy eyes, slurred speech, and the odor of intoxicants, according to court documents released last week.
Audio of Clasen’s 911 call following the crash was released last week.
In a conversation with emergency dispatch, Clasen was asked if she had hit a motorcycle. She responded, “Yeah we are,” and later confirmed, “No there’s definitely somebody injured. Possibly fatality. I’m going to go check.”
She then came back to the call again, stating, “Yeah, we have no pulse on a… I believe a pedestrian.”
Clasen was scheduled for a court appearance on March 12, but it did not end up happening. It’s unknown at this time when she’ll make her next court appearance.
FULL VIDEO: Officer arrested by coworkers for alleged DWI after failing sobriety test
On Thursday, July 1, San Antonio Police OfficerPaul Fencik, assigned to SAPD’s South Patrol Division, was taken into custody at the South Patrol Substation. (SBG San Antonio)
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SAN ANTONIO – The full video of a San Antonio Police Officer’s arrest and field sobriety test has been released.
On Thursday, July 31, San Antonio Police Officer Paul Fencik, assigned to SAPD’s South Patrol Division, was taken into custody at the South Patrol Substation.
Court records allege that the officer had be caught on video driving while intoxicated.
RELATED | SAPD officer arrested for alleged DWI while on duty
Fencik could be seen on bodycam video being read his Miranda Rights, and submitting to a field sobriety test inside of a common area within the police substation.
Fencik: “Field sobriety test?
DWI Officer: “Yes sir, a standardized field sobriety test.”
Fencik: “I wasn’t driving.”
Sergeant: “Evidentally you have been driving.”
Fencik: “I was in the parking lot.”
Sergeant: “I guess there’s video of you driving.”
Officer Fencik was confronted by a group of his fellow officers, who presented him with the accusations. He had strong words for his coworkers, condemning them for pursuing the arrest.
“This is bull****. We’re on the same f**** team,” Fencik said early on in the video.
He can then be seen being arrested by the administering officer, before being taken to the Bexar County Jail on charges of Drive While Intoxicated while on duty.
“I am deeply disappointed that an officer would choose to drink and drive, endangering the very community we are sworn to protect,” SAPD Chief William McManus said in a statement. “This behavior represents a clear violation of the public’s trust and the standards of conduct expected from those in our Department.”
Fencik, who has served with the department for 18 years, has been placed on administrative duty.
Body Cam Footage Shows Alleged ICE Officer Pulled Over for Drunk Driving Racially Profiling Arresting Officer
The man has been charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence and two felony counts of reckless child endangerment.
Newly released body camera footage shows a Florida man claiming to be a federal immigration enforcement official racially profiling a police officer who pulled him over on the highway for drunk driving.
The footage, which was published on Thursday by YouTube account “The CrimePiece,” shows the arrest of 42-year-old Miami resident Scott Thomas Deiseroth, who was pulled over by officers from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on August 13.
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The footage begins with the officer who pulled Deiseroth over asking him for his identification and asking him if he knew his current location.
Deiseroth reacted belligerently to the officer’s questions and told him that he was a federal agent who worked for the Department of Homeland Security. As reported by local news station CBS 12, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office website at one point listed his occupation as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
Deiseroth also told the officer that he was simply trying to get home and informed him that he had his two young sons with him riding in the backseat.
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The officer then asked Deiseroth to step out of his car, to which Deiseroth replied, “Are you fucking serious right now?”
After exiting the vehicle, Deiseroth continued to exhibit hostility to the officer’s questions, and he repeatedly demanded to know, “Are we really doing this right now?”
The officer then asked him how much he’d had to drink, and Deiseroth replied that he’d had four drinks, without specifying the nature of those drinks.
“Are you guys really trying to fuck me right now?” Deiseroth asked.
The officer informed Deiseroth that he could smell alcohol on him and he wanted to ensure that he was capable of safely driving his vehicle home.
The officer proceeded to administer field sobriety tests. During the tests, another officer came over to ensure that Deiseroth did not stumble while trying to walk a straight line along the side of a busy highway.
Deiseroth then questioned why the second officer, who was Black, was there, and the officer informed him that it was to prevent him from getting hit by oncoming traffic.
Deiseroth responded by repeatedly asking the officer, “Are you Haitian?”
Deiseroth was then informed by the officer administering the sobriety test that “it doesn’t matter” where the other officer was from or his heritage.
“Yes it does,” Deiseroth replied.
After failing the sobriety tests, Deiseroth was placed in handcuffs and informed that he was being placed under arrest. He then pleaded with the officers to not take him to prison and asked what they were going to do with his two children.
Later, after Deiseroth had been placed in the back of a police car, the officers informed him that his sons’ mother—with whom Deiseroth had said earlier he was going through a divorce—would pick up the two children at the police station.
He repeatedly demanded that he be allowed to see his children before being taken to the police station, but the officers did not grant his request.
“Let me see my kids!” he demanded at one point.
“Brother, I really do not want them to see you in the way you’re in right now,” the officer replied.
Records at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office show that Deiseroth was subsequently charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence and two felony counts of reckless child endangerment.
A request to the Florida State Attorney’s Office in Monroe County to confirm Deiseroth’s employment status at the time of the arrest was not returned by press time. The criminal case is pending.
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